Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Bollinger, Inc., headquartered in Short Hills.

Bollinger is the nation's 21st largest insurance broker, placing over $1 billion in insurance premiums into the marketplace annually. The firm's business spans retail property and casualty insurance placement; wholesale brokerage and program management; and employee benefits brokerage and consultancy. Bollinger has over 500 employees operating out of eight offices in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Together Gallagher and Bollinger will continue their common strategies of growing organically and through mergers and acquisitions, improving productivity and enhancing service quality, and maintaining a unique sales culture. Benefits of the acquisition are expected to include: Combining two very similar cultures; Combining strong production talent that builds on Gallagher's successful sales team platform; Complementing and expanding specialized niche practice groups; Expanding Gallagher's Northeastern footprint particularly in New Jersey and New York; Expanding Bollinger's program business through the company's existing distribution network; Providing additional opportunities to hire new producers; Driving longer-term operational efficiencies through a consolidated platform; Benefiting from reputational co-branding opportunities; Assimilating Bollinger's parallel operations into three core businesses; Sharing a client focus that is primarily middle-market.